As 2009 comes to a close, it's always fun to take a look back at the stories that had us talking throughout the year. Here are five stories, from our friends Michele and Lexie at The Examiner about families and parenting that made news in 2009. How many do YOU remember?

Jett Travolta dies and the Travolta family faces extortion
It's every parent's nightmare and on January 2, John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, had to face it. Their 16 year-old son Jett was found unconscious in a bathroom in the fmaily's home in the Bahamas. Attempts to resusitate Jett were unsuccessful and he was declared dead. The Travoltas were then forced into the public eye as talk turned to the family's belief in Scientology and how it may have played a role in Jett's untimely and tragic death to the rumors that Jett possibly had autism.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the family also became the target of an extortion plot by a paramedic and a former Bahamian senator. They attempted to extort $25 million from the Travoltas over a signed document that detailed medical transport information in which Travolta had refused to have Jett transported to a nearby hospital. During the trial, it was believed that a juror had leaked information to other people outside of the case and a mistrial was declared.

Nadya Suleman delivers octuplets
Late January brought about one of the most notorious stories of the year: Nadya Suleman, also known as Octomom. Suleman delivered octuplets which have gone on to become the longest living set in history. Her story immediately raised eyebrows. The single mom already had six children and deliberately underwent in vitro fertilization to have more children. Her parents were against Suleman having more children, causing her to lie to her family about her pregnancy. Suleman and her mother had no problem airing their dirty laundry on Radar Online, where videos of explosive arguments could be viewed.

Public concern for the safety and well being of her children grew when photos of Suleman's home showed that her home was dirty, in a state of disrepair, and didn't appear large enough to accommodate the large family. Gloria Allred got involved, threatening Suleman to accept free in-home care to help out with the young babies. Suleman accepted the help from Angels in Waiting only to fire them days later, claiming they were spying on her. Just when it seemed as though Suleman would never go away, she faded into the background and has rarely been seen. Sure, she's agreed to have her children filmed a few times a year for a reality show that airs in Britain and does an occasional spread in a magazine, but her presence is nowhere near as pervasive as it once was. And you know what that means - she'll try to pop out more babies in 2010!

'Jon & Kate Plus 8' heads to divorce court
After months of allegations of infidelity on the part of both Jon and Kate Gosselin, the couple made the unsurprising announcement that they would be separating, followed quickly by a divorce announcement. The news came as no shock to those that watched the show and witnessed the marriage crumbling via Kate's bashing of her husband and his retreat to local bars where he was photographed with young co-eds. Soon after the divorce announcement was made, Jon was seen with a variety of younger women. He quickly entered into a serious relationship with Hailey Glassman, the daughter of the plastic surgeon who performed Kate's tummy tuck. The two flew to France and were photographed kissing and holding hands for all the world to see. Kate, on the other hand, accrued public sympathy as Jon's apparent mid-life crisis took off, leaving her to care for the kids.

The divorce proceedings soon became acrimonious and Jon resorted to using the reality show that allowed him to live his lavish lifestyle to get back at Kate. Rumors surfaced that Jon wanted to star in a different reality show with his pal, Michael Lohan, but to do so he would have to have his contract with TLC cancelled. Jon decided that 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' was detrimental to his children and demanded that the show stop filming, his timing coinciding with a news release from TLC that Jon's role in the show would be dropped considerably and the show would undergo a makeover and be known as 'Kate Plus 8.' Because of Jon's refusal to allow TLC to film, the show's production was halted and eventually cancelled.

The Gosselin's divorce will be final within days.

Michael Jackson dies unexpectedly and a custody battle over his kids ensues
The world was absolutely stunned over the news that Michael Jackson, the legendary King of Pop, had died on June 26. The immediate question was about his children, Prince Michael, Paris, and Blanket. Who would raise them now? Would Debbie Rowe, Prince Michael and Paris's mother, sue for custody? Would his mother, Katherine Jackson, be named their guardian?

Debbie Rowe did enter into the picture and naturally rumors went wild. Reports that she wanted a big payday to stay away surfaced, as did news that she would sue for custody and wanted all three kids even though Blanket wasn't her biological child. Then there were whispers that their former nanny would try to raise the kids. Things got even more bizarre when a series of men came forward claiming to be the biological father of the children. It seemed as though each new day brought forth new parental claims and new custody arrangements. In the end, Jackson's mother was awarded custody and the reside with their grandmother.

Balloon Boy flies into our lives
If you turned on your television on October 15, you saw images of a large, UFO-like silver balloon floating through the air. At the time it was believed that 6-year-old Falcon Heene was inside the lower compartment of the balloon. His parents frantically called in the police after the balloon accidentally was released and flew up and off into the sky. Two hours and fifty miles later, the balloon landed with no sign of Falcon. Authorities feared the worst and a search on land began. Not much later, Falcon emerged from his hiding spot in the family's attic. It wasn't long before things smelled fishy.

Appearing on CNN's 'Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,' Falcon made a comment about how he had done this "for the show." Say what? Turns out his dad is a reality tv nut who was hoping to get a reality show about his family and their eccentric ways. The family tried to shoot down this theory, appearing on morning shows. Those appearances didn't go very well and the stress caused young falcon to vomit on camera, concerning the interviewings but showing that his parents were the consummate professionals and his mom held a bucket for him while not batting an eye or losing her train of thought. Soon enough, the family admitted that it was all a hoax and Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to charges relating to the case.

Michele and Lexie are friends who got bored taking their kids to the same places. They made it their mission to find family-friendly fun on the Eastside. The result became The Ruby Slipper Guide. Take advantage of their findings and discover new places on the Eastside here. You can contact Michele & Lexie at eastsideexaminer@gmail.com.